The present invention relates to a slack loop dryer which is adapted to dry photographic material while the photographic material is moving therein. The present invention also relates to a photographic processor which includes the slack loop dryer.
In typical photographic processing machines, photographic material, such as film, is processed by associating the photographic material with processing solution. After processing, the photographic material is dried in a dryer which typically blows air, such as heated air, onto the photographic material. Typically during processing, a single roll at a time is processed or a plurality of rolls of photographic film are spliced together and processed in a photograph processor. After processing, the processed photographic material is delivered to a dryer. Conventionally, the dryer includes a straight path therethrough, which does not permit an entire roll of photographic film to be removed from the processor and inserted into the dryer since the length of the path is usually less than the length of the photographic material to be dried. This can delay the start of the processing operation in the processor for a subsequent roll of film. Conventional dryers which include a U-shaped drying path enable the formation of a slack loop of the photographic material within the dryer. These conventional dryers permit the drying of longer length film but do not permit an adjustment of the length or the size of the slack loop to accommodate different lengths of film. Therefore, in these conventional dryers, it is not possible to match the amount of drying air applied to the film with the length or size of the slack loops of the photographic material being dried. It is, therefore, not possible to optimize the amount of air being supplied in accordance with the size of the slack loop.
The present invention relates to a dryer and a photographic processor which includes the dryer, wherein the dryer is capable of drying photographic material while it is moving. The dryer of the present invention is a slack loop dryer in which the size of the slack loops as well as the amount of drying air supplied to the slack loops are adjustable so as to optimize the supply of drying air onto the photographic material. With the arrangement of the present invention, it is possible to quickly remove processed photographic material from the processor in order to improve throughput. By continuously moving the photographic material during drying, the occurrence of drying marks and other drying artifacts on the photographic material is prevented.
The present invention also provides for a dryer which includes a telescoping mechanism or member that adjusts the drying air output. The telescoping member of the present invention permits the supply of the proper amount of air for drying the media by directing the air onto the media. The telescoping member is further adjustable based on the length of the media being processed.
The present invention accordingly relates to a dryer for photographic material which comprises a path for photographic material that extends from an entrance to an exit of the dryer, wherein at least one slack loop is provided in the photographic material; an adjustable roller provided along the path and at the slack loop in the photographic material, with a position of the adjustable roller being adjustable to change a size of the slack loop; a frame member having a wall which faces the slack loop, with the wall comprising a plurality of slots which are provided in a spaced manner along the wall; an air supply arrangement adapted to supply air into the frame member, with the air passing through the slots in a direction toward the slack loop of the photographic material; and a sliding telescoping member slidable within the frame member to open and close the slots, with the sliding telescoping member being movable based on the size of the slack loop as set by the adjustable roller, to open slots of the plurality of slots which oppose or face the slack loop and close slots which do not oppose or face the slack loop.
The present invention also relates to a dryer for photographic material which comprises a path for photographic material that extends from an entrance to an exit of the dryer; a first roller and a second roller provided along the path for transporting the photographic material to be dried along the path, with the second roller being provided downstream of the first roller with respect to a direction of travel of the photographic material along the path; a first adjustable roller provided in a first slack loop area along the path between the first roller and the second roller, such that the photographic material in the path passes around the first adjustable roller to form a first slack loop between the first and second rollers, with a position of the first adjustable roller being adjustable to change a size of the first slack loop; a frame member having a first wall which faces the first slack loop area, with the first wall comprising a plurality of first slots which are provided in a spaced manner along the first wall; an air supply arrangement adapted to supply air into the frame member, with the air passing through the first slots in a direction toward the first slack loop area to dry the photographic material; and a sliding member slidable within the frame member to open and close the first slots, wherein the sliding member is movable based on the size of the first slack loop as set by the first adjustable roller to open first slots of the plurality of first slots which face the first slack loop and close first slots which do not face the first slack loop.
The present invention also relates to a dryer for drying photographic material which comprises at least one first conveying roller for conveying photographic material from an entrance to the dryer to a first slack loop area; a first adjustable roller around which the photographic material passes to form a first slack loop of the photographic material, with the first adjustable roller being located in the first slack loop area and being adjustable to adjust a size of the first slack loop; a first set of slots located in an area below the least one first conveying roller for directing drying air in a direction toward a first side of the first slack loop; at least one second conveying roller downstream of said first adjustable roller with respect to the direction of travel of the photographic material, with the at least one second conveying roller conveying the photographic material to a second slack loop area; and a second set of slots located in an area below the at least one second conveying roller for directing drying air in a direction toward a second side of the first slack loop.
The present invention further relates to a dryer for drying photographic material which comprises conveying means for conveying the photographic material through the dryer, with the conveying means comprising means for forming at least one slack loop in the photographic material; first adjusting means for adjusting a size of the at least one slack loop in the photographic material; drying means for blowing drying air toward the at least one slack loop to dry the photographic material; and second adjusting means for adjusting an amount of drying air supplied by the drying means to substantially match the size of the slack loop.
The present invention further relates to a processing assembly which comprises a processor for processing photographic material; and a dryer for drying the processed photographic material. The dryer comprises a path for the photographic material which extends from an entrance to an exit of the dryer, wherein at least one slack loop is provided in the photographic material; an adjustable roller provided at the slack loop in the photographic material, with a position of the adjustable roller being adjustable to change a size of the slack loop; a frame member having a wall which faces the slack loop, with the wall comprising a plurality of slots which are provided in a spaced manner along the wall; an air supply arrangement adapted to supply air into the frame member, with the air passing through the slots in a direction toward the slack loop of the photographic material; and a sliding member slidable within the frame member to open and close the slots, wherein the sliding member is movable based on the size of the slack loop as set by the adjustable roller to open slots of the plurality of slots which oppose the slack loop and close slots which do not oppose the slack loop.
The present invention also relates to a method for drying photographic material, which comprises the steps of inserting photographic material into a drying path of a dryer in a manner in which at least one slack loop is provided in the photographic material; adjusting a size of the at least one slack loop in accordance with a length of the photographic material to be dried; providing an area of spaced slots in a manner in which the slots face the at least one slack loop; and supplying drying air through spaced slots in the area of space slots which oppose the at least one slack loop while blocking spaced slots in the area of spaced slots which do not oppose the at least one slack loop, such that a distance covered by the spaced slots through which drying air is supplied substantially corresponds to the size of the slack loop.